Sheet collecting and folding mechanism for printing presses



J. E. MEYER Nov. 29, 1938.

SHEET COLLECTING AND FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Sept. 14, 1937 INVENTOR fig ATTO RN EYS Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET COLLECTING AND FOLDING LIECH- ANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Application September 14, 1937, Serial No. 163,717

7 Claims.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for handling the product of a web press capable of using form cylinders of dif-' ferent sizes; in which case the change form cylinder circumferences are even or odd multiples of the same sheet length and in which the product is not out even or odd from the same size change form cylinder.

The object of the present invention, more particularly, is to provide a sheet collecting and folding mechanism which may be operated to collect and transversely fold the product out from one cycle of the press either when the product is cut into an odd or an even number of sheets or groups of sheets according to the size of the change form cylinder.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 illustrates in diagram so much of a sheet cutting, collecting, folding and delivery mechanism as will give a clear understanding of my invention;

Fig. 2 represents in diagram part of an impression cylinder of a rotary web printing press and a change form cylinder coacting therewith and having a circumference which is twice the predetermined sheet length to be cut from the web; and

Fig. 3 represents a similar diagram in which the change form cylinder has a circumference three times the same sheet length to be cut from the web.

Two associated traveling webs I, 2 are passed through a pair of rollers 3, 4 to the pair of rotary cutters 5, 6. These rotary cutters have two pairs of diametrically opposed coacting blades 1, 8 and 9, I0, which blades cut the associated webs transversely into either two or three sheets or groups of sheets of the same sheet length for each cycle of the press.

The rotary cutter 6 is provided with two diametrically opposed sets of sheet engaging devices, in the present instance impaling pins ll, I2.

A three-way collecting cylinder I3 is shown as provided with three equally spaced sheet engaging devices, in the present instance impaling pins I4, I5, l6, which pins are arranged to successively coact with the impaling pins l I, I2 of the two-way rotary cutter 6.

This three-way collecting rotary cylinder I 3 is also shown as provided with three equally spaced folding blades I7, I 8, [9 which alternate with the impaling pins 14, I5, 16.

A two-way collecting cylinder 20 is shown as provided with two diametrically opposed $635 of sheet engaging devices, in the present instance impaling pins 2|, 22, which pins successively coact with the impaling pins [4, I5, 16 of the three- Way collecting cylinder l3 when a product of three sheets or groups of sheets is being cut off, collected and folded for each cycle of the press. It will be understood that this two-way collecting cylinder 20 is silenced when a product of two sheets or groups of sheets is being out off, collected and folded for each cycle of the press. This two-way collecting cylinder 20 is two-thirds the diameter of the three-way collecting cylinder 13 and travels at the same surface speed.

A six-way folding cylinder 23 is provided with six sets of equally spaced folding ,jaws .24, 25, 26, 21, 28, 29, arranged to coact with their respective folding blades I1, l8, [9 of the three-way collecting cylinder l3 to successively fold transversely the sheets or collected groups of sheets on to the said six-way folding cylinder 23. This six-way folding cylinder 23 is twice the diameter of the three-way collecting cylinder 13 and travels at the same surface speed.

Two delivery cylinders 30, 31 may be provided for coaction with the folding cylinder 23. In the present instance each of these delivery cylinders is provided with three sets of sheet engaging devices, as,for instance, impaling pins 32, 33, 34 and 35, 36, 31, respectively, for delivering the transversely folded sheets or groups of sheets from the folding cylinder 23 to predetermined points, as, for instance, traveling endless carriers 38, 39. These two delivery cylinders 30, 3| are each one-third the diameter of the six-way folding cylinder 23 and make two revolutions for each revolution of the said cylinder 23 thereby reducing the surface travel for the purpose of delivering the folded products to the traveling endless carriers at a, surface speed two-thirds the surface speed of the web as it passes through the press and to the cutting, collecting and folding mechanism.

It will be understood that the two-way collecting cylinder 20 may be operated by Well known or approved means, not shown herein, to coact with the three-way collecting cylinder [3, to collect the product of a cycle of the press when out into three sheets or groups of sheets of a predetermined length; which two-way collecting cylinder 20 is silenced when the three-way collecting cylinder [3 is operated to collect the product of a single cycle of the press when out into two sheets or groups of sheets of the same predetermined length.

In Fig. 2 I have shown an impression cylinder 40 and a change form cylinder 4|, which change form cylinder has a circumferential length equal to two sheets to be cut from the traveling web, while in Fig. 3 I have shown a change form cylinder 41* which has a circumferential length equal to three sheets to be cut from the traveling web during each cycle of the press. It will thus be seen that my improved sheet cutting, collecting, and folding mechanism is adapted to handle different productsof the same sheet length. In

the present instance in one case there are four pages or two cut-oifs around the cylinder and in the other case there are six pages or three cutoffs around the cylinder.

When running a product having two cut-offs for each cycle of the press, the product is collected on the three-way collecting cylinder !3 and the product is folded off to every other jaw on the folding cylinder 23. The products are then delivered to the lower endless carrier 38 by every other set of grippers on the lower'delivery cylinder 30.

Whenrunning a non-collected product having two cut-ofis for each cycle of the press, each folding jaw on folding cylinder 23 receives a group of sheets from each section of collecting and folding cylinder I3. Each consecutive set of grippers on the lower delivery cylinder 30 receives a signature from the folding cylinder 23 and all signatures are delivered to the lower endless carrier 38. a

If the product from each cycle of the press is run as two separate signatures one signature is delivered by the lowerdelivery cylinder 30 to the lower, endless delivery carrier 38 and the next signature is delivered by the upper delivery cylinder 3| to the upper endless carrier 39.

When running a product having three cut-oifs for each cycle of the press the product is collected on cylinder 20, transferred to cylinder l3 and folded off to two of the folding'jaws on cylinder 23, in which case the entire product is delivered by the same set of grippers on lower delivery cylinder 30 to the lower endless carrier 38.

When running a non-collected product havin three cut-offs for each cycle of the press the sheets are folded off from cylinder l3 to each successive folding 'jaw on cylinder 23, the entire product being delivered by successive grippers on lower delivery cylinder 30 to the lower endless carrier 38.

It will be understood that where I have used the term cylinders, I wish to include rotary carriers of any'type suitable for operating on the sheets.

It will also be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the particular type of sheet engaging devices, i. e., impaling pins, shown and described herein.

What I claim is: I

1. In a mechanism .for cutting, collecting, folding and delivering the product of a single cycle of a change form cylinder rotary printing press into an even or an odd number of sheets or roups of sheets, rotary cutters, a collecting and folding cylinder coactingtherewith to collect an even number of sheets or groups of sheets, a folding cylinder coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder, a collecting cylinder arranged to bebrought into coaction with the collecting and folding cylinder, to collect an odd number of sheets or groups of sheets, and means for delivering the product.

2. In a mechanism for. cutting, Q t

and folding cylinder, to collect three sheets or groups of sheets, and means for delivering the product.

3. In a mechanism for cutting, collecting, folding and delivering the product of a single cycle of a change form cylinder rotary printing press into an even or an odd number of sheets or groups of sheets, rotary cutters, a collecting 1 and folding cylinder coacting therewith, a folding cylinder coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder, a collecting cylinder arranged to be brought into and out of coactionwith the collecting and folding cylinder, and two delivery cylinders coacting with the folding cylinder.

4. In a mechanism for cutting, collecting, folding and delivering the product of a single cycle of a change form cylinder rotary printing press into an even or an odd number of sheets or groups of sheets, rotary cutters, a collecting and folding cylinder coacting therewith to collect an even number of sheets or groups of sheets, a folding cylinder coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder, a collecting cylinder arranged to be brought into coaction with the collecting and folding cylinder, to collect an odd number of sheets or groups of sheets, and two delivery cylinders coacting with the folding cylinder.

7 In a mechanism for cutting collecting, folding and delivering the product of a single cycle of a change form cylinder rotary printing press into two or three sheets or groups of sheets, rotary cutters, a three-way collecting and folding cylinder coacting therewith to collect two sheets or groups of sheets, a six-way folding cylinder coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder, a two-way collecting cylinder arranged to be brought into coaction with the collecting and folding cylinder to collect three sheets or groups of sheets, and two three-way delivery cylinders coacting with the folding cylinder.

6.-In a mechanism for cutting, collecting, folding and delivering the product of a single cycle of a change form cylinder rotary printing press into two or three sheets or groups of sheets, rotary cutters, a three-way collecting and folding cylinder coacting therewith to collect two sheets or groups of sheets, a six-way folding cylinder coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder, a two-way collecting cylinder arranged to be brought into coaction with the collecting and folding cylinder to collect three sheets or groups of sheets, and two three-way delivery cylinders coacting with the folding cylinder, the collecting and delivery cylinders being two-thirds the diameter of the collecting and folding cylinder and one-third the diameter of the folding cylinder.

7.'In a mechanism for cutting, collecting, folding and delivering the product of a single cycle of a change form cylinder rotary printing press into two or three sheets or groups of sheets, rotary cutters, a three-way collecting and folding cylinder coacting therewith to collect two sheets or groups of sheets, a six-way folding cylinder coacting with the collecting and folding cylinder,

a two-way collecting cylinder arranged to be brought into coaction with the collecting and folding cylinder to collect three sheets or groups of sheets, and two three-way delivery cylinders coacting with the folding cylinder, the collecting and delivery cylinders being two-thirds the diameter of the collecting and folding cylinder and onethird the diameter of the folding cylinder, the said delivery cylinders rotating twice to one revolution of the folding cylinder.

JOSEPH E. MEYER. 

